Curtain-fixture.



No. 700,95. Patented May 27, I902.

A. LEACH.

CURTAIN FIXTURE.

(Application filed May 22, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNriEn STATES PATENT CFFIcE.

ALBERT LEACH, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CURTAIN-FIXTURE.

SPEGIFICeTION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,95 1, dated May 27,1902. Application filed May 22, 1901. Serial No. 61,421. (No model.)

To (tZZ 1071/0727, it natty concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT LEACH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCurtain-Fixtures; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the in-' vention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use thesame.

The present invention relates to an improvement in curtain-fixtures ofthe type comprising a spring actuated roller upon which the curtain isrolled up.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide a curtain-fixture of the typereferred to in which the weight of the curtain is balanced by thetension of the spring for actuating the roller, so that the curtain willremain in any position on being unrolled from its roller and will berolled up on the roller when the lower portion of the curtain is raisedto relieve the spring from a portion of the weight of the curtain. Sofar as I am advised as to the state of the art, however,curtain-fixtures of the type referred to are defectivein that they actto counterbalance the weight of the curtain through only a relativelysmall portion of its entire movement, so that the range of movementwhich can be imparted to the curtain when in use is limited. Priorcurtain-fixtures of this type are also defective in that they are notprovided with a simple and efficient means for adjusting the tension ofthe spring to exactly counterbalance the weight of the curtain.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improvedcurtain-fixture which will act to counterbalance the Weight of thecurtain through a large portion or the whole of its movement, wherebythe range of movement which can be imparted to the curtain when in useis increased.

Another object of my invention is to provide a curtain-fixture having asimple and efficient means by which the tension of the spring can beeasily adjusted to counterbalance the weight of the curtain.

With these objects in view my invention consists in the devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described and claimed, theadvantages of which will be obvious from the following description.

A curtain-fixture embodying my invention comprises a spindle or othersuitable means for rotatably supporting the roller to which the curtainis securedand a spring connecting the roller and spindle arranged to beput under tension when the roller is rotated by drawing the curtaintherefrom. In order to cause the curtain to be counterbalancedthroughout a greater range of movement than is possible when the springalone or the spring and a constant friction are depended upon as acounterbalance, a friction device is provided for retarding the rotationof the roller'and means whereby the friction pro duced by said device isvaried as the roller is rotated. The friction device thus acts tosupplement the weight of the curtain or to control the action of thespring and can be arranged to exert the necessary friction to cause thecurtain to be counterbalanced by the spring throughout the greaterportion or the whole of its movement.

While my invention, broadly considered, may be embodied in manydiiferent constructions, the construction illustrated in the draw* ingsand hereinafter described embodies my invention in the best form atpresent known to me and possesses advantages in simplicity ofconstruction, certainty of operation, and convenience of adjustmentwhich will be obvious to those skilled in the art. In such constructionthe friction device is arranged to be actuated by the spring whichconnects the roller and spindle, so that the friction produced varieswith the tension of the spring. Connections other than the spring arealso provided between the friction device and the roller for actuatingthe friction device when the roller is rotated to increase or diminishthe friction produced by the actuation of the friction device by thespring. By this construction the friction device can be actuated toproduce the requisite amount of friction to cause the curtain to bebalanced throughout its entire movement. The connections above referredto are arranged to allow the roller to be rotated without actuating thefriction device through said connections, whereby the amount of frictionproduced at any time during the revolution of the roller can be variedas desired.

As a means for adjusting the tension of the spring a feature of myinvention contemplates providing stop devices connected to the rollerand spindle for limiting their relative rotary movement under thetension of the spring and means whereby the roller and spindle can berelatively adjusted to vary the tension of the spring-without changingthe relative position of the stop devices. While this feature ofmyinvention is not limited to any particular construction, it isembodied in a simple and efficient form in a fixture comprising thefeatures of invention above described by utilizing certain parts of saidfixture as stop devices, as will hereinafter appear.

A preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the upperportion of a window-casing with a curtain supported thereon by acurtain-fixture embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevationof one end of the curtainroller, showing the devices which constitute anembodiment of my invention in elevation. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan viewon line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of'the roller shown inFig. 2 and the devices carried thereby removed from itssupporting-bracket, and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 indicates a windowcasing to the upper portion ofwhich are secured brackets 2 and 3, which support the ends of the rollerto which the curtain 4 is secured. The left-hand end of thecurtainroller is supported in the usual mannerby a pin upon the end ofthe roller, said pin being journaled in a hole in the bracket 2, whilethe right-hand end of the roller is supported by the bracket 3, as willbe hereinafter described.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 5, 5 indicates the curtain-roller, to theright-hand end of which is secured a plate 6. The end of the roller5 isbored axially to provide a hole to receive the coiled spring 7, whichactuates the roller to roll up the curtain and to receive the otherparts of the fixture to be described. The right-hand end of the rolleris supportedin the bracket 3 by means of a spindle 8, the outer end ofwhich is provided with a flattened portion 9, which is received in avertical slot in the bracket 3, so that the spindle is held fromrotation in the bracket. The

inner end of the spindle 8 is rigidly connected dle Sis secured to therod 10 by means of the bent end of a wire 13, which passes through ahole in the end of the spindle and through a sleeve 14, secured to therod 10 and extending over the end of spindle 8. Journaled on the spindle8 is a threaded sleeve 15, which extends through the plate 6 at the endof the roller. The sleeve 15 is provided with a flange 16, locatedinside of the plate 6, and the flange is connected to the plate by meansof a pin 17, secured to the flange and projecting through one of aseries of holes 18 in the plate. Mounted on the sleeve 15 is atravelingnut 19,which is held from rotation with the sleeve by means of the wire13, which passes through an opening in the nut. One end of the coiledspring 7 is secured to the block 11, and the other end is secured to thenut 19, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. In the construction so fardescribed it will be seen that the sleeve 15 is connected to roller 5and rotated therewith and that the spring 7 is so arranged that when theend 9 of spindle 8 is removed from bracket 3 the. spindle will berotated with relation to the roller in a direction to cause the nut 19to travel toward the sleeve 14, and the relative movement of the spindleand the roller will be stopped when the nut 19 reaches the end of thethread of the sleeve 15 or contacts with the end of sleeve 14. The nut19, the means for limiting its travel, and the sleeve 15 thereforeconstitute stop devices connected to the roller and spindle for limitingtheir relative movement under the tension of thespring, so that when thespindle 8 is removed from the bracket 3 the spring 7 will not entirelyrun down. In order to adjust the tension of spring 7, I have providedmeans whereby a relative rotation can be imparted to the roller andspindle without changing the relative position of the nut 19 and thesleeve 15. This means consists of the detachable connection between theflange 16 and plate 6, formed by the pin 17. The flange 16 is normallypressed toward the plate 6 to cause the pin 17 to engage one of theholes 18 by means of a coiled spring 20, surrounding the sleeve 15 andinterposed between the flange 16 and a yoke-shaped plate 21. The sleeve15 passes through this plate 21, the ends of which are secured to theplate 6. When the end 9 of spindle 8 is removed from the bracket 3, thespring 7 can be adjusted by pushing in the spindle 8 until the pin 17 isdisengaged from one of the holes 18 and by then rotating the roll orspindle, the parts afterward being locked in their adjusted position bythe engagement of the pin 17 with one of the holes 18. ment can beconveniently effected while the spindle is supported in the bracket 3 bymoving the roller 5 endwise to disengage the pin 17 from one of theholes 18 and by then rotatin g the roller. The relative endwise movementof the spindle and roller is permitted by the sliding engagement of theinner end of rod 10 with the socket in block 11, the inner end of therod being at a sufficient distance from the bottom of the socket whenthe The adjust-- parts are in normal position to permit this movement.

It is practically impossible to provide a spring the tension of whichwill vary proportionately with the weight of the curtain throughout anyconsiderable movement of the curtain. I have accordingly provided afriction device for retarding the rotation of the roll and connectionsbetween the friction device and the roller, whereby the friction deviceis actuated when the roller is rotated. By means of this friction devicethe effect exerted by the spring is varied as desired, so that theweight of the curtain is counterbal anced by the spring throughout awide range of movement. In practice the spring and friction device canbe so adjusted as to cause the curtain to be balanced throughout itsentire movement. The friction device shown in the drawings consists inthe wire 13, one end of which is bent to form the fastening means forsecuring the spindle 8 to the rod 10, as has been described, beingpivoted in the sleeve 1 1 and the end of the spindle 8, while the otherend of the wire 13 is bent to partially surround the sleeve 15. The wire13 passes through the nut 19, which tends to rotate upon the sleeve 15under the torsional action of the spring 7, turning the wire 13 slightlyin its support in the sleeve 14 and spindle S, which forces the otherend of the wire against the sleeve 15. The friction exerted by wire 13on the sleeve 15 increases with the tension of the spring, as will beobvious, and it also increases as the nut 19 travels outward on thesleeve and the distance from the pivotalpoint of wire 13 to the point ofapplication of the power increases. The friction device therefore isactuated in two waysfirst, by the spring 7 as its tension increases whenthe curtain is drawn down, and, second, by the movement of the nut 19along the sleeve 15. Since the amount of friction produced varies withthe position of the nut 19 on the sleeve 15, the friction can be variedby disconnecting the sleeve 15 from the roll 5, as hereinbeforedescribed, when the spindle is supported in the bracket 3 and byrotating the roll while so disconnected. It will be noted that by sorotating the roll while the spindle is supported in the bracket 3 thetension of spring '7 will not be varied except by the rolling up orunrolling of the curtain so long as the spindle is not removed from thebracket, the tension remaining the same for any given position of thecurtain. It will thus be seen that the effect of the friction device canbe varied without varying substantially the tension of the spring, theoutward movement of the nut 19 to which the end of the spring 7 issecured being of slight extent in comparison to the length of the coiledspring 7. The sleeve 15 is held from endwise movement on the spindle 8by means of the projecting shoulders of the flat portion 9 of thespindle and the end of wire 13, which passes through the spindle 8. Topositively prevent a rotation of sleeve 15 when the roller isdisconnected therefrom, the end of the sleeve may be provided with ashallow notch to engage one of the inturned portions of the bracket 3 atthe edge of the slot in the bracket, as will be obvious.

The operation of the devices above de scribed has been sufficientlyindicated to be readily understood without a separate descriptionthereof.

In the embodiment of my invention above described the end of the rolleris rotatably supported by means of a spindle; but it is to be understoodthat my invention is not limited to the exact form of supporting meansshown and that except as limited by the language of the claims the termspindle used in the claims is to be construed as covering any meansadapted to be connected to and rotatably support the roller. It is alsoto be understood that my invention is not limited to the specific formof friction device 1101' to other details of construction.

Having thus indicated the nature and scope of my invention and havingspecifically described the preferred embodiment thereof, I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A curtain-fixture, having, incombination, a roller, a spindle, a spring for actuating said roller,and a friction device for retarding the rotation of the roller actuatedby the spring and constructed and arranged to increase the friction asthe tension of the spring increases, substantially as described.

2. A curtain-fixture, having, in combination, a roller, a spindle, aspring connecting the roller and spindle, stop devices connected to theroller and spindle for limiting their relative rotating movement underthe tension of said spring, and means for relatively adjusting theroller and spindle to vary the tension of said spring without changingthe relative position of said stop devices, substantially as described.

3. A curtain-fixture, having, in combination, a roller, a spindle, aspring connecting the roller and spindle, a friction device, andconnections between the friction device and roller for actuating thefriction device when the roller is rotated o'nthe spindle, constructedand arranged to be rendered inoperative by the operator while thecurtain is wound upon the roller, substantially as described.

4:. A curtain-fixture, having, in combination, a roller, a spindle, aspring connecting the roller and spindle, a screw threaded sleevemounted on the spindle and connected to the roller, a traveling nutmounted on the sleeve and connected to the spindle, and means fordisconnecting the roller and sleeve to allow a rotation of the roller toadjust the tension of the spring, substantially as described.

5. A curtain-fixture, having, in combination, a roller, a spindle, aspring connecting the roller and spindle, a screw threaded sleevemounted on the spindle and connected to the roller, a traveling nutmounted on the sleeve, and a friction device acting to retard therotation of the roller actuated by said nut, substantially as described.

6. A curtain-fixture, having, in combination, a roller, a spindle, aspring connecting the roller and spindle, a screw threaded sleevemounted on the spindle and connected to the roller, a traveling nutmounted on the sleeve, a friction device acting to retard the rotationof the roller actuated by said nut, and means for disconnecting theroller and sleeve, substantially as described.

7. A curtain-fixture, having, in combination, a roller, a spindle, ascrew-threaded sleeve mounted on the spindle and connected to theroller, a traveling nut mounted on the sleeve, a spring connecting theroller and nut, and a friction device mounted on the spindle andarranged to be engaged and actuated by the nut to retard the rotation ofthe roller, substantially as described.

8. A curtain-fixture, having, in combination, a roller, a spindle, afriction device and disconnectible means between the friction device androller for actuating the friction device when the roller is rotated onthe spindle constructed and arranged to be disconnected by the operatorwhile the curtain is wound upon the roller, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT LEAOH.

Witnesses:

FRED O. FISH, ALFRED H. I-IILDRETH.

